


Untitled World

by Cosmi_x



Series: No Title [3]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Blood and Injury, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Healing, Hearing Voices, Hurt/Comfort, Insane Wilbur Soot, Insanity, Manipulation, Mental Health Issues, Not Canon Compliant, November 16, Protective Parent Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Protective Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Recovery, Sad with a Happy Ending, Tired Wilbur Soot, Violence, Violent Thoughts, Wilbur Soot-centric, good brother technoblade, techno and philza getting ready to throwdown with dream the fic, you get some joy at the end...as a treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:08:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28335147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cosmi_x/pseuds/Cosmi_x
Summary: Though the skies are dark with roiling storms,I shall set the heavens ablaze with my iron drawn,for I've vowed on my life to bring you home.(In a change of fate, a father and brother make it in time to save a boy from his own demise.)
Relationships: Clay | Dream & Wilbur Soot, Wilbur Soot & Pain, Wilbur Soot & Phil Watson, Wilbur Soot & Technoblade
Series: No Title [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2068737
Comments: 10
Kudos: 192





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> in this brain, only angst and crack exist.  
> this is an au where wilbur lives and doesn't nuke lmanburg lmao but i accidentally spilled a whole bag full off angst.  
> :)
> 
> the short poem in the summary is from the game Honkai Impact and the title is from a song under the same name.

_what am i looking for?_  
_the carefree blue sky_  
_once again, it pushes me away_

It was a hollow victory. Blood had been shed, homes were destroyed and lives were lost. All of it just to get back a country built on the foundation of _freedom_. Ironic wasn’t it? 

It was ironic, so why did they put in so much effort to save a country which was no more? Wilbur was tired. Wilbur wondered. He wondered why everyone turned against Schlatt at the final minute and joined Pogtopia. They were the same people that turned against him the moment opportunity arose. 

In the wasteland of the former Manberg, now Lmanburg, Wilbur Soot looked upon the people celebrating. Tommy and Tubbo, the spirited boys, reunited once again, were crying tears of joy. Fundy and Eret were patching each other up, the adrenaline from combat still flowing in their bodies. And then there was Techno, Wilbur stared ~~proudly~~ adoringly at his ~~weapon~~ brother, Techno was phenomenal.

 _A beast made for war._

Alas, all this joy would soon be _blown_ to smithereens. An agreement was an agreement. Lmanburg would never return to its glory days. Dream wanted to see it go out in a blast. The voices wanted to see it too. And Wilbur himself? He honestly does not know. What he wants is peace. A place to emancipate. Maybe he would find it soon.

He's been feeling like a walking shell, a vessel for the voices. They wanted destruction. They made him kill. They taunted him. The funny thing was, they were right. Their taunts and jeers were all right.

_betrayed over and over again, what do you think will happen now?_

_they all lie, they look at you like a madman_

_is this what you wanted? the rubble of your country?_

_no one can have this, destroy it all!_

“Soon...it’ll be complete.” Wilbur chuckled, the anticipation was too much. No one could have this. No one. Lmanburg had fallen from grace, it would never be the same. He would not allow anyone to lay their dirty hands on what was originally his. There would be no reform. Lmanburg was dead. All he had to do now was clear away its corpse.

“What will be complete?”, Technoblade grumbled, walking towards Wilbur. Lost in thought Wilbur ignored him, a cryptic smile and glazed eyes stared off into the distance, “Hey Wil you alright? Hello earth to Wilbur!”. Wilbur snapped out from his reverie and turned to face Techno whose face was littered with concern. “Hey, you’re not hurt anywhere are you? Is something wrong?”. Techno reached out for Wilbur’s arms, lifting them around and inspecting his body for injuries.

_always so caring for lil ol’ Wilby_ . 

“Ah sorry sorry! I must have spaced out, don’t worry ‘bout me Tech I’m perfectly fine.”, Wilbur assured him, flailing his hands and legs about, “See, all still intact.” _your mind isn’t._ Techno nodded, the worry in his body dying down. “So, about what you were whispering to yourself just now,” Wilbur tensed. Techno caught a glimpse of _something_ in his eyes before it disappeared, “Oh that. It’s nothing really, I’m just excited, yeah? We’ve won and we got back this country! It’s almost complete, I just have a few things to discuss with everyone.”

Techno did not want to say it but, he could tell that was faux excitement. Something was up with Wilbur. No, something _had_ been up with Wilbur. His sudden craze with terrorism and anarchy and anything in between. Those were supposed to be Techno’s thing. Wilbur acted like a ticking time bomb. He had thought that if he helped Wilbur get back his country his brother would return back to his snarky and dorky self. But no, that forced joy, those eyes, and the way he fought back there told Techno something entirely different.

They sparred when they were younger, he could tell that Wilbur never liked fighting. He was graceful when they sparred. Techno would always go for the kill, but it was almost impossible to touch Wilbur. It was like he disappeared, his prowess would have made him a formidable opponent but Wilbur would never strike. He would dodge and dodge. 

But today was different, oh so different. When he fought, it was a new sight to behold. Using the very same grace he hacked and slashed through Schlatt’s men like they were nothing. As a seasoned warrior he could easily tell that Wilbur was enjoying the brutality. The gleam in his eyes as he killed said it all. Call it some gut feeling, but it was too un-Wilbur-like.

“You sure Wil? Nothing else at the back of your mind?”. Techno slowly unsheathed his sword, eyes remaining on Wilbur. _kill him kill him kill him_ Wilbur massaged his temple, blank eyes staring back at Techno and the sword he was wielding. “It’s nothing.” 

Before Wilbur could have walked away, he felt the coldness of his brother’s blade on his throat. “It doesn’t feel like nothing, _Wilbur_.” 

_he’s going to kill us! how dare he!_

_deal with him now._

The air around them was tense and cold, Techno gripped tightly onto his blade staring intently at Wilbur who did not seem to be fazed. “I’m...I’m just scared that’s all,” And there was it, the grip on his blade faltered as the suspicion in his eyes faded. “Everything just seems too good to be true. Dream said there’s a traitor amidst us, so why haven’t they shown themselves?”. Wilbur tilted his head to the ground, hands wrapped around himself as some form of comfort. The blade had been sheathed, Techno looked at Wilbur guiltily, he should not have pointed a weapon at his brother. Considering how much trust Wilbur put into Techno, Techno should do the same.

“He...hey, I’m sure it’s all going to be fine,” That was right, Dream did mention something about a traitor, no wonder Wilbur had been so frazzled, he had been backstabbed many times before. Techno slowly approached a shaking Wilbur and gave him a tight hug. Wilbur loved hugs. “Look Wil, as long as I’m here you don’t have to worry about some traitor, the moment they show themself, I’ll put my good ol’ Orphan Obliterator right through them.”

It was too easy. Show even the smallest amount of vulnerability in front of Techno and he would be putty in his hands.

_it would be so easy to stab him_

_great work wilbur_

Wilbur cherished the warmth of the embrace for a little longer. Beneath the grime and blood, Wilbur could smell the comforting scent of freshly bloomed roses and soft peaches coming from Techno. Quite a juxtaposition for a bloodthirsty man. 

“Thank you Tech, I appreciate it a lot.” Leaving the embrace Wilbur’s eyes gleamed a deep red crimson before vanishing the next second. He held onto Techno’s hand, bringing it up to his chest, “I can’t thank you enough Techno, thank you for everything, if it weren’t for you I don’t think we could have stood a chance.”

The sincerity and softness of his voice reminded Techno why he chose to fight with his brother. It was the same kind soul that treated Technoblade like a person and not a weapon. He would never want to see Wilbur hurt.

“I have a small favor I have to ask of you Tech,” he stared at Techno gingerly, awaiting the predicted response, “Anything, I’ll do anything Wil, so, what’s up?” Bingo.

“I need you to stay here with everyone else while I go.”

“Wha- why? Go where?”

“If the traitor sees me leave unarmed and alone, they're bound to strike.”

“I need _you_ to stay here and keep watch for anything suspicious,” 

“Wilbur I-”

“Tech, please,” Wilbur begged, he just looked so vulnerable and broken, “If...if you’re here, I believe everything will be alright, I...I just don’t know what would happen if the traitor appears at the wrong time.” His voice began to crack and the instability Techno saw not long ago seeped back into him. “Please...we’ve gotten so far...it’d be horrible if I- if _we_ lost again.”

“I...I’ll do it. But, you have to let me track your every move,” Techno took out his communicator and linked it up with Wilbur’s, “This way, if anything goes wrong, I’ll be able to find you.”

“Thank you so much Techno, I promise you it won’t take long. I’ll go now alright?”

And so, Wilbur Soot walked off into the scattered wasteland of a country. And he walked and walked, knowing exactly where to go. 

Techno watched as Wilbur walked away. Making sure everyone could hear him, he announced that Wilbur had gone off alone to deal with something. As he watched the crowd of concerned and confused faces, he took out his communicator.

_you sent a message to Philza: here are his coordinates, I hope you’re already here._

_Philza sent you a message: don’t worry Tech, I’ll make sure he’s safe, thanks for the cords :)_

~

Wilbur trudged on, walking robotically to the oh so familiar place. His mind was blank...so was his heart...and his soul. He had one thing on his mind, and no one here would stop him. Familiar carvings surrounded him as he entered the room, all of them scratched onto the walls. All of them were cries and laments for a place which was no more.

The carvings became more erratic and carelessly scratched upon the walls the deeper he went, he was so close. It was the buzz of his communicator that disturbed his peaceful musings, taking out the device he wondered if Techno finally caught on. But the messenger was someone else. His eyes widened. 

Why was it him?

_Philza sent you a message: hey Wil how are you? Is everything well? Its been a while since you’ve contacted your old man y’know._


	2. II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the delay! here's chapter 2! enjoy!

_over and over_  
_my avatar falls apart_

It couldn’t be him. No, it couldn’t be him, right? It must have just been pure coincidence that Phil contacted him at this moment right? He can’t know. He shouldn’t know. Wilbur would not let anyone get in his way. 

Taking in deep breaths, he corrected his erratic heartbeat. Looking at the communicator again, he scrutinized it making sure that the messenger was Phil and not some last-minute joker.

Unfortunately, it was not a joke and the sender was in fact, Phil. For some reason, he felt a strange tingle run down his spine, was his resolve wavering? All because of him? 

No. Phil wasn’t even here. He would go through with this. 

_you sent a message to Philza: Hey dad! I’ve been doing well! Sorry for not contacting you for so long, we had to fight in a war to get back Lmanburg. It’s been pretty stressful :(_

_Philza sent you a message: Oh I see, how’s it going along now? Are you boys alright? Do you need help?_

Almost instantaneously Phil had replied as if he was waiting for Wilbur to respond. 

_you sent a message to Philza: Don’t worry ‘bout it, in fact, we just won the war a few hours ago :D Everyone’s doing fine! We’re celebrating right now as we speak!_

_Philza sent you a message: Is that so? Mind if you boys snap a pic? It’s been a while since I’ve seen you boys_

Wilbur tsked. He was getting closer to the button room but this conversation would be holding him back. He could not let this drag on.

_you sent a message to Philza: Sure thing! Might take a while though, everyone’s so rowdy right now. I’ll try to find Tech and Tommy soon :)_

Surely a small lie wouldn’t be that serious, right? After all, he’d already stacked up so many crimes. A simple lie like this would be nothing. 

The sound of footsteps echoed through the hallway as the room slowly became visible. The voices were going wild, their mantra of _do it do it do it_ increased tenfold. 

So much destruction would befall by a press of a button. Ah…Wilbur felt powerful, he felt in control, and soon his symphony would be complete.

So, why is he feeling so sad? His heart is aching. His eyes are watering. Does he truly want this? ~~No.~~

_of course you do._

The phantom whispers into his mind, words like painfully sweet honey. _your heart is torn but your mind will always remember._ That’s right. He _wanted_ this. To go out with a bang, to feel the utter desolation ~~he felt~~ those traitors would experience, watching something dearly cherished get snatched away in a blink of an eye.

_go._

And so he went.

“Quite a celebration if I must say so Wil.”

A voice echoed out, sounding like a mix of amusement and disappointment.

No. No. No. This couldn’t be happening.

Right in the room stood the man himself. Phil Watson glanced at the shocked Wilbur. The boy stood paralyzed unable to process this properly.

“Dad!.. What are you- How are you here? You didn’t say anything about this!”

“And you said there was a big joyous celebration, but you’re here, in such a cryptic room. I’m sure we’re both equal now yeah?”

Wilbur did not plan for this. This was an unexpected contingency. He had so many questions but so little time. He had to do it soon.

“What’s this over here?”, Phil pointed out the dubious button sticking out on the wall like a sore spot. “Might it have something to do with the fact that you aren’t with your brothers Wil?”. He walked towards the button, only to stop mere meters away from a gleaming diamond sword. The enchantments on the blade glowed brightly, poised and ready to kill.

“Dad- Phil, please don’t touch that.”

Wilbur’s voice was eerily calm, he eyed Phil like a predator ready to strike. 

The atmosphere in the already joyless room dropped to one of stygian gloom. Phil knew that if he made one wrong move, father or not, Wilbur or whatever this _thing_ that was using him, would not hesitate to strike. Tech wasn’t lying when he told Phil that something was definitely off with Wilbur, huh?

Wilbur felt a sudden surge of anger, the static feeling back at the battlefield was coming back. He felt like a man possessed, yet he was in full control of his actions. ~~right?~~ It was wrong, what he was doing was _wrong_ , so why wasn’t his grip on his sword relenting? He would never hurt Phil.

_he’ll ruin everything_

~~he’ll save me~~

That’s right, he was going to be the one to end it all. He wouldn’t let anyone get in his way, especially not Phil. “This is important to me Phil, please just let me have this alright?”. The boy pleaded and begged his father. Phil would really like to have more say in this, but with a blade pointed right at your neck ready to strike? He’s down to think that he might need to relent.

“You’ve changed Wil,” Phil slowly backed away from the button, his eyes not leaving the sword, “Something in you has changed.” 

Wilbur gave Phil a half-hearted grin as he made his way to his button. “I’m sure we’ll have time to catch up after I’m done with this.” 

The boy toyed with the button, fingertips dancing over it. “I’m afraid not Wilbur.” And just like that, Wilbur felt a powerful shove and he was off his feet, sword fallen away from him clattering, uselessly to the ground. Wide-eyed, Wilbur glared at Phil, the forceful weight of the man pinning him to the ground.

_kill him kill him kill him_

“Phil! What are you doing?” He shouted at the man, as he struggled to get free. “This button, it’s a trigger right?”, Phil stared down at the boy who looked downright feral with rage, “It’s rigged with TNT, a lot of it.” He could feel the boy’s ministrations weaken. “What do you plan on doing, son?” His voice softened as he regarded Wilbur.

Wilbur stopped moving, unblinking eyes staring at Phil. “Wilbur, whatever you’re planning on doing, it isn’t right.”

“What would you know about what’s right or wrong here Phil? Perhaps what I'm doing is good, you don’t know the whole story.” The voice sounded coarse and deathly. For as long as he knew Wilbur, the boy had never sounded so disturbed until now. 

What had happened to him? Phil felt like a horrible father, no, he _is_ a horrible father. He should have done more when he realized that Wilbur had cut off communications with him. He brushed it off, thinking that Wilbur wanted to have space for himself. He didn’t think much when Techno and Tommy talked to him and told him their worries about Wilbur. He thought he had capable children that were able to take care of one another without him by their side. 

Look where all that simple thinking brought him. In the dimly lit room smelling of death and gunpowder, he was pinning down his crazed son who was most definitely about to commit an unspeakable act of terrorism on his own country.

“Wilbur, listen to me alright? What you’re doing is _wrong_ , you won’t only hurt yourself, but everyone else too.” Phil tried his best to reason with the boy, but it all felt futile. Wilbur was unresponsive.

It was only after a few seconds that Wilbur began to speak, “I’ll hurt myself? I’ll hurt everyone else? Who cares about that? They deserve it.” Wilbur chuckled, eyeing Phil slyly.

“And what about you? You won’t get out of this unscathed.”

“Me?... I don’t really care, in fact, right after I blow this place up, Phil,” Wilbur struggled but managed to ease his head right beside Phil’s ear, “I want you to kill me.”

Those words were etched into his mind, the whisper felt so loud. What had happened to his son? 

_broken things should be thrown away_

“I’m so broken...Phil...I’m so lost...so please, let me have this. You can put the blame all on me, as it should be.” Wilbur’s eyes softened as he gazed at Phil, the darkness had seemed to slowly seep away, yet a solemn emptiness remained. “It’s selfish of me, I know. Don’t have to lecture me all about it. You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for this day, I’m so close to it, please don’t snatch it away ~~again~~.” 

Wilbur could feel Phil’s grip faltering, yet he wasn’t letting go, “Please Phil, if I do it now then no one will be around the area, that’s good, right? No one will be hurt and then I can also-”

A harsh slap met his face before he could finish, the tingling sensation jolted Wilbur. Phil was finally off him, but Wilbur was too stunned to move. “Phil…?” 

Phil was sickened, he would never have done that, his hand wasn’t forced, so why did he still do it? Wilbur looked like a lifeless doll, he sat on the ground, hands cradling his cheek as he stared blankly at him. “Wilbur, I-I didn’t mean to that, I just-” 

“I deserved it. It’s fine.” The boy casually replied, as if it didn’t bother him in the slightest. “A slap to my face is barely enough for me to atone for what I’ve done, but we’ll slowly get there.” 

He went from psychotic rage to self-deprecation in a blink of an eye. Phil was distraught, seeing Wilbur like this broke his heart. He missed his son, he missed the boy who would talk to him over long nights, excitedly and proudly telling him his great accomplishments.

“ _Dad! I formed a country! How cool is that?_ ”

“ _Do you think I’ll make a good father? I’ll do my best of course!_ ”

“ _I want to achieve even more! I want to rival the legendary Philza!_ ”

The voices filtered in and out of his head, it was so full of life and determination. Looking at Wilbur now, the boy looked like an empty shell. 

“Wil, no matter what you’ve done, I should have never done that. I-I hurt my child, I’m so sorry.” 

He was sorry? Why was Phil sorry? Wilbur should be the one apologizing, he had hurt so many people, a slap to the face was nothing to him. 

So, if it was nothing to him, why couldn’t he move? The button was so close, Phil was dazed, he could detonate this place so easily. His body refused to cooperate, he was trembling, the voices in his head were scratching and screaming at him. Yet his body refused to move. The noises blended together, a cacophony of chaos tore at his mind, he needed to go, but he didn’t want to.

One moment, the boy was as still as a corpse, the next moment Phil saw him gripping aggressively onto his hair, almost as if he wanted to tear it off, his whole body was shaking. Wilbur was letting out small but pained huffs, his fingers were digging into his head trying to find relief from whatever internal battle was going on in his mind right now.

Phil instinctively went in to wrap him up in a tight embrace. Gosh, his body was ice cold, even though he was wrapped in layers, it still felt like he was dying from hypothermia. Phil held on tight, the trembling boy didn’t seem to register the contact. He was letting out soft pleas, begging for something to _stop_ and apologized profusely. 

“Hey buddy, hey hey Wil, it’s alright it’s okay, I’m here, I’m here for you buddy.” Phil pried the fingers off his head and cradled his head by his shoulder, “It’s okay, everything’s gonna be alright, just breathe Wil, no one’s gonna hurt you.” He ran his fingers through his hair trying to comfort the boy.

After a few minutes, Wilbur had considerably calmed down but he had returned to that disturbingly static state. It was eerily silent, save from the gentle humming coming from Phil, he held him tight. Phil let out soft assurances as he continued to hum the soft and relaxing tunes.

He was definitely not killing Wilbur, he was definitely not going to let Wilbur walk the path of no return. No, he had made up his mind, he would bring Wilbur away from here. He couldn’t make it back then, but now he was going to give it his all for this boy, for his son.

“Phil…why are you doing this?”, the soft whisper got Phil’s attention, Wilbur was staring aimlessly into space, his eyes still blank, body limp and lifeless leaning onto Phil for support, “I don’t deserve your love.”

“Wilbur. You are my _son_ , I love every part of you, from the good to the bad. I won’t let you fall.” 

“Why?... Am I even worth saving? I’ve been nothing but a failure, a monster, a madman, and all the in between. I’m just so tired Phil, I’m tired of everything, of this country, of myself, of this world-”

“Wilbur Soot, listen to me. You are _not_ a failure, you’ve accomplished so much in such a small time. You’ve forged friendships, you’ve gone through trials and tribulations and you’ve come out victorious. These are not easy feats Wilbur, you are more than you think.”

_all these white lies, what’s the point?_

_he is only delaying the inevitable_

Wilbur was torn, the voices in his head were mocking him and goading him on. Yet, Phil was patient, he spoke softly to him and encouraged him, he missed this kindness. But-

“Do I truly deserve your love?”

“Wilbur, is that even a question? I’ve told you, and I’ll say it again until you’ll never question me again,” Phil gently caressed Wilbur’s face, looking him in the eye with such tenderness, “Wilbur Soot, my son, my cherished son, I love you, and nothing in this world will ever make me hate you. I know you’re in pain, you’re lost right now, but I’m here, and I’ll go through this pain with you. We’ll get through this together.”

And just like that, the dams broke, the chaos in his mind went silent. The warm tears that gathered in his eyes started to cascade down his cheeks. The rhythmic pump of his heart sent waves of _warmth_ up his body. A dim but growing light began to shred at the darkness in his mind.

The warmth lit up his whole body, it made his senses go haywire. Sobs escaped the boy as he clung to his father, holding onto him so tightly. 

“You don’t have to shoulder the weight of the world by yourself Wilbur, I’ll be here when you need me.” 

Wilbur hadn’t felt this surge of emotions in such a long time, he missed this, he didn’t want to lose this. 

“You can still end this story the way you want it.”

That’s right, he didn’t have to end it now, there was so much more he could do. Wilbur Soot did not want to destroy Lmanburg. Wilbur Soot wanted Lmanburg to flourish. Wilbur Soot could make it happen.

“Hmm I was wondering what was the hold-up, it seems I’ve arrived at the wrong time,” A saccharinely sweet voice echoed through the room, “I have to say, Wilbur, I’m quite disappointed. A deal was a deal, no?”

Adorned with his notorious mask and green hood, Dream entered the room, sword by his side. He looked at the duo, Wilbur was cowering and shaking, Philza was shielding him from his sight. “Quite a surprise if i say so, what’s the legendary man doing here?”

“I could ask the same thing, Dream what brings you here?” Phil slowly stood up from his previous crouch, placing himself in between Wilbur and Dream. He picked up Wilbur’s fallen sword and positioned it right in front of Dream.

“Hold on hold on, I’m not here to fight,” Despite his words, his sword was still glistening dangerously by his hip. “I’m here to make sure someone honors his side of our agreement.” Dream tilted his head, facing a trembling Wilbur. “A deal was a deal Wilbur, I surrender and you blow this place up. Don’t tell me daddy dearest has stopped you?” The mockery in his voice held an underlying threat. “I don’t like being played Wilbur, we made a promise right?” 

“Dream...I...I-” Wilbur muttered weakly, his breath was full of panic. 

“I don’t care what shitty agreement or promise you’ve made Dream, if you so much as come any closer,” Phil swung the sword with deadly precision, “I won’t hesitate.” He would protect Wilbur, and if Dream couldn’t get the message, things would get bloody real soon.

“Now that won’t do,” Dream moved in a flash, dashing right in front of Phil, sword drawn and poised for the kill. If it were any weaker man, they would have had met their maker. “Ah, so close,” The sword had missed its mark, but a wound was opening up by Phil’s arm where he failed to deflect the strikes. “Wil-bur,” The fiend singsonged, “if you don’t do it soon, I’ll slice him up.”

“Dream please stop, don’t hurt Phil, please, I don’t want this, I’m sorry-” The boy could only beg and plead. Wilbur was hyper fixated on the fresh blood that was dripping down Phil’s wound, he was hurt, he was hurt because of him. “Dream, please-”

“Wilbur. Stay behind me, I won’t let him touch you.” Despite his injury, Phil stood strong, eyes glaring daggers at Dream. “You coerced him when he was at his most vulnerable, you used him, and now you threaten him?” The anger that radiated off Phil was searing hot, “And now you want to see him destroy his greatest treasure?” Phil charged at him, murder on his mind, “I won’t let you hurt my son.”

Their blades clashed, sparks were sent flying, and wounds were exchanged. “You know Philza, Nightmare isn’t a normal sword,” The smugness in his voice sent Phil on high alert, he gripped his sword a little tighter, he had to protect Wilbur, he had to stay strong for him. “How long will it take for that poison to kick in, hmm?” 

_Poison?_

“Maybe it’ll finally kick in once I kick your sorry ass Dream.” Phil tried to stay strong, but he could feel the effects of the cursed enchantments seeping into his wounds. And not a second later, he felt his legs buckle, body collapsed. 

_God fucking damnit._

“DAD!” Wilbur was in hysterics, he rushed towards the fallen man, crouching down to assess his wounds. “Hey hey buddy, I’m fine, I’ll be fine.” Phil muttered to the distressed boy, “Oh I highly doubt that,” The duo glanced up at Dream, he held his sword, readily positioned to tear a hole through Phil’s throat. “Now then Wilbur, be a dear and press that button. Or I’m afraid there might be another casualty on your hands.”

“Wilbur, don’t listen to him, Wilbur, WILBUR!” 

The boy stood up shakingly, edging towards the button. 

“Now then, if you were to kindly press it, I think we can all leave here unscathed.”

“Wilbur, you’ll always have a choice, end this story the way _you_ want it.” Dream glanced down at the injured man cradling his wounds. Quite problematic this one. 

Wilbur approached the button, his entire body was tensed, he could hear the beginning of the loud cries again. He didn’t want Phil to be hurt, he didn’t want to lose anything or anyone else. He _will_ end this story the way he wants it.

“I won’t do it.”

“Excuse me?”

“I said I won’t do it. The deal is off. A betrayal for a betrayal yeah? We’re even now.” Wilbur turned and faced Dream, a smirk plastered on his face, “This _was never meant to be_ green boy.”

“Maybe we just need some peer pressure,” Dream poised the blade right under Phil’s throat, “Do it or I take his life.” Phil struggled under the weight that Dream put on him but he was openly smiling, grinning like a madman. “You abuse your powers, someday retribution will come Dream.”

Phil glanced at Wilbur, conflict was written on his face, he looked close to a breakdown, “Wil, listen to me alright? Get out of here, your old man will be alright.”

“No, you won’t! I can’t, no, I won’t let you get hurt because of me.” And so Wilbur made his decision.

“As sweet and endearing as this is I think it’s about time to-” As Dream tried to make another one of his stupid speeches, Wilbur bolted towards him, pushing him away from Phil, “Why you little-”

“WILBUR!”

A freezing cold invaded his body. He could feel it wrapping around his body. Something wet was dripping down his stomach. Strange, Phil’s voice was so distant.

Dream stood up and dusted himself, letting the body of Wilbur fall onto the ground. “I hate surprises.” He pulled out his sword from Wilbur’s stomach, inspecting the blood on it before turning to Phil. “You people always surprise me.”

Phil was too weak to fight but he mustered all his strength as he ran towards Wilbur, pushing Dream aside. One hand cradled the boy, the other pressed down on the open wound, “Hey buddy, Wil, stay awake alright? Don’t fall asleep, please.” The already faint light in his eyes was getting fainter, his body was getting colder. “Oh god, Wilbur, hang on.” Phil ignored Dream completely, all his energy was spent on keeping Wilbur alive.

“Guess it’s my lucky day.” He eyed the button and the duo beneath him. This was going to be fun. 

He raised Nightmare one more time, preparing for one final slash.

He suddenly paused, as he heard the cocking of a crossbow.

“One more move Dream, and I’ll stick three arrows up your skull, point-blank.” Murderous rage filled the entire room, heavy footsteps echoed from behind him. Blood red eyes blazed. 

“Oh fun, fun. Yet another surprise.” 

Technoblade stared Dream down like a hawk, crossbow aimed right at his head. “Get out of here right now. Otherwise, I’ll make sure no one can recognize your corpse.”

“I wonder what runs in your blood,” Dream slowly backed off from the duo, he walked past Techno whose weapon was still aimed at him, “You people sure are _special_.” He snickered as he disappeared into the shadows.

Not a second later, when Techno deemed that it was safe he hurried to the two huddled on the ground. “Jesus Christ what the hell happened,” Phil grinned at him, “Oh god, christ, here take these,” Techno handed Phil a surplus of healing potions. “I said to take care of Wilbur and both of you fools nearly get killed?”

Phil carefully applied the potion onto Wilbur’s wound, “Hey buddy, we’re safe now, you can rest now.” He gently caressed his head hoping to soothe the boy. After a while, Wilbur’s pained breathing evened out as he fell into a deep slumber.

Phil lifted the boy off the ground, he signaled to Techno who was on guard that they were safe. 

“I’ll tell you what happened once we’re out of here.”

“Oh, you better.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you want to make sure i have not gone awol, stalk my twitter @Cosmi_x, if there are recent retweets that means I'm probably alive, slowly but surely I'm writing the next chapter :)


	3. III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> last chapter lads! thanks for sticking around <3

_For what purpose? For whose sake?_   
_Without receiving an answer, fate reaches its curtain call_   
_Then at the very least, I want to reach my hands out to that day_

He woke up under a thick blanket, the smell of freshly brewed chamomile tea wafted into the room. Slowly sitting up, Wilbur ignored the small pinpricks of pain around his abdomen as he surveyed his surroundings. He was in a room. An unfamiliar one at that. The interior gave Wilbur a very homey vibe, akin to a cozy cottage.

There was a small desk by his bed, a bowl of steaming soup looking at him. There was a slight chill when his feet made contact with the smooth wooden floor, strange, it wasn’t winter now. Attempting to warm himself, Wilbur brought both his palms together, looking down at his body he was shocked to see that he had an entirely new change of clothes.

Gone was the dark and torn trench coat, in its place was a light yellow woolen sweater with sleeves that ran up to his wrists. Along with the new comfy sweater, he was also wearing a new pair of jeans that was helping him insulate from the chilly temperature.

Did he fall into a coma? Was it winter? Seriously, Lmanburg wasn’t always this cold. Wait...speaking of Lmanburg, what had happened when he passed out? 

He limped towards the windowsill, one hand placed near his abdomen trying to soothe the ache around the area. What he saw outside was _not_ Lmanburg. It was a world of pure white. As far as his eyes could see, the small hills and forests around him were coated in frost. There was the occasional grazing sheep with their thick winter coats. No other forms of life were spotted, no chickens, no cows, nothing.

...was this Lmanburg? How long did he blackout? Where was _everyone?_

Unconsciously his breathing picked up, the hand on the window was shaking. It was deafeningly silent, it was too empty, it felt surreal. Had Dream done something? “Surely not...right?” The hushed whispers escaped his trembling lips, this emptiness, he hated it. He felt alone. Was he alone?

His mind was clear. The voices were gone. Still, why was this silence so overwhelming?

He wanted Techno, he wanted Phil, wait... where was Phil? Was Phil okay? He remembered vague flashes of him, wounded and bleeding, life hanging loosely on the edge of a blade, yet he stood steadfast in his duty to protect him. 

Phil was alive… right? He had to be. Wilbur was alive. Phil must be alive too. Dream wouldn’t play such a cruel joke, right? 

Oh god, he had to be alright, Dream wouldn’t be this petty. Surely, that sword to the throat must have been an empty threat. Dream would never.

_dream would._

_look where you’re at, is this lmanburg? Is anyone here?_

No. No. No. There were other possibilities, surely there were so many other possibilities! Wilbur struggled to assure himself. There was tightness in his chest, loud thoughts broke the stifling silence and ran rampant in his head. 

Everything is fine. Everyone is safe. Everyone is alive-

They _had_ to be. 

“Hey Wil, I see you’re awake, oh wait hey hey hey-” A panicked Phil made his way to a trembling Wilbur. He lightly rubbed his shoulders until Wilbur visibly snapped out of his little panic. The fear dissipated from his eyes as he engulfed Phil in a tight hug, burying his head under Phil’s. “Hey there, you alright Wil? C’mon let’s get you back to bed, you're still injured after all.”

Wilbur silently complied, slowly shuffling his way back to his bed. He winced as he sat down, the wound in his abdomen achingly painful. Phil sat beside the spooked boy, offering him soft caresses to keep him anchored, “How’s the wound Wilbur? Does it still hurt?” A nod. “Well then, I’ll go get some potions and bandages to help clean and patch it up. Can you wait here for me?”

Before Phil could fully stand up, his arm was grabbed by Wilbur who looked at him pleadingly, “No Phil don’t go, stay here, stay,” Phil stared at Wilbur, slightly confused, “What’s up Wil? Is something bothering you? It’ll only take a while, you’ll be safe, don't worry now.” 

“Where did everyone go? What happened? Where are we?” Wilbur asked hurriedly, worry and fear in his eyes, “Is...is everyone, is Lmanburg okay?”.   
The realization hit Phil in the face. Anyone would be stunned or dazed after passing out, and then waking up alone in a room around a place with no signs of human life? Poor Wilbur must have been stupefied. 

His eyes softened, “Everyone’s alive, Lmanburg is fine and as for us, we’re somewhere where you can take your time to recover and heal.” He gave Wilbur gentle pats on the head reassuring him that everything was swell.

“I’m glad then,” Wilbur stared down dejectedly, “I hope I can see them soon.” 

“Of course you can! It might take a few days to reach Lmanburg but we can always set up a video call bud!”

“That’s not what I meant,” he twiddled with his thumbs, refusing to face Phil, “They _know_ right?” Wilbur was a monster. “Would they want to see me?” Would they want to see a monster? A madman? He used and hurt them.

“I’m sure they’d love to see you bud,” Phil rubbed his back encouragingly, “They were all worried for you when you were brought out y’know? They heard about what you wanted to do.” Wilbur physically tensed, “But, there seemed to be an understanding between them. They saw you injured and passed out, they crowded all around you fretting about your safety.” 

“They did?” But why? Why did they care? He was the traitor. He was the villain.

“Because they care. They care about you Wilbur.” Wilbur was tense, he really could not comprehend it. “Your boy, Fundy right? And the girl, Niki, when they saw you passed out and bleeding, they broke down on the spot, they were frenzied, begging Tech to keep you alive with all those potions.” Fundy? Fundy was worried? And Niki, oh sweet Niki, he never wanted to bring her into this. “You should have seen Tommy’s face,” the young and spirited younger brother, “Boy was stunned, couldn’t even move, almost went on a rampage to hunt down Dream.” Phil chuckled. “Should’ve seen him when we left, boy was practically about to cry like a baby.” 

And as Phil went on and on, Wilbur grew more and more relaxed but the feeling of guilt still gripped tightly onto him. 

“People make mistakes, they lose their way once in awhile, but your friends and family Wilbur, they haven’t given up on you yet.”

“I…”

“Time will heal all wounds. You don’t have to rush alright? We can take this one step at a time, we’ll get through it together. You won’t be alone.” Wilbur’s eyes shined with unshed tears, a small and genuine smile gracing his face, “And if that little green fucker shows up, he’ll have to go through Tech an’ I.” 

“You seem to hate him a lot.” Wilbur lightly snickered.

“Yeah, didn’t get the warmest of welcomes, y’know with a sword up your throat and acting all high and mighty trying to hurt my son.” Sarcasm dripped off his voice, the resentment evident, “And then Tommy and Techno gave me a short run-down of what else this gremlin did. Honestly, I would've loved to punt him into lava.”

“Let’s not focus too much on him,” Phil stood up, “For now, I’ll have to get those bandages and potions to clean up that wound.” He gave Wilbur a big grin, puffing out his chest, “And then after that, we can see what you want to do. We have all the time in the world, Tech’s probably outside, we can go get him later.”

“Techno followed along?”

“Well...everyone wanted to come along, but then no one would be able to care for Lmanburg, so your friends decided to stay and protect it. Techno refused to stay though, he wanted to follow you.” Phil carried on as he made his out, “They all care about you in different ways. Tommy and your friends are back at home keeping your country safe. And Techno wants to keep you safe. They’ll all be waiting for you to see them y’know?”

Wilbur couldn’t pinpoint the emotion that was welling in his chest, but the warmth and love it made him feel, he wanted to cherish it forever.

“Phil?”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you.” 

“No problem bud,” Before Wilbur could open his mouth again Phil interrupted him, “And if you want to know where Techno is, the boy is right outside going on a potato planting craze. I’ll drop him a message, lads gonna rush in here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the delay ;w; hope you've enjoyed this small little au :')
> 
> might have to add a reason for the delay was because i was struggling to write Phil as a good father towards Wilbur because of the things that happened in the DSMP lmao, mans really choosing favorites huh?


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